Get Out the Early Vote : Minority Use of Convenience Voting in 2008

Did minority voters use early voting reforms in the 2008 election? Previous research has shown convenience voting reforms differentially motivate participation among the electorate. However, the co-ethnic mobilization literature suggests that minority voters are more likely to vote in the presence of a co-ethnic candidate. Thus far, these two literatures have not been put into a dialogue. We extend the co-ethnic mobilization thesis to the use of convenience voting methods using voter registration files from three southeastern states: Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Our findings support the co-ethnic mobilization thesis with African Americans voting early at higher rates than in previous elections. In addition, we find a residual effect in the Georgia Senate Runoff election in which African American voters continue to vote early. We further find that younger voters and Democrats tended to vote early at higher rates than other groups